| The teachers at SpiritAndTruth.org wish you and yours a blessed Easter as we celebrate what is perhaps the second most important event in history after the crucifixion of our Lord: His victory over death and resurrection from the dead (1Cor. 15:13-15). This newness of life is experienced in a very personal way by all those who come to trust in Jesus and thereby inherit eternal life (Rom. 6:8-9). Consider the audacious claims of this Jewish rabbi who declared, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26) Imagine if any mere man stood before you and made such a claim! But this was no ordinary man, but the perfect Lamb of God -- the God-man and second person of the Trinity. Each Easter, I am personally reminded of this amazing claim as I consider my own response to the piercing question which Jesus directed at Martha: "Do you believe this?" It was 19 years ago on this very holiday when I first was able to answer, "I believe!" In the time which has intervened it seems at times like progress has been slow. At other times, I rejoice to hear how the Lord has blessed this ministry which has been offering free teaching materials on the internet for more than 12 years. As of this writing, SpiritAndTruth.org has shipped approximately 1500 free CDs and DVDs containing audio teaching to some 62 countries. Those same CD and DVD images have been downloaded directly from our website nearly 2000 times. The number of individual articles and audio teachings accessed directly over the internet is unknown, but must be far greater. Newsletters such as this, presently find their way to more than 650 individuals. An unknown number of others subscribe directly to our RSS feed. All this to say: be encouraged! What begins as a small seed can, with God and time, grow to be used of Him in ways which we never imagined. Do you suppose the preacher under whose ministry I was born again had any notion that his witness, when amplified by the Holy Spirit, would one day indirectly lead to people in distant countries far around the world accessing Bible teaching materials by way of electronic delivery over the internet? I doubt it! When that faithful servant of God first came to faith, there were no personal computers, much less an internet. But such is the mystery of God's work through those who are His. My thanks especially go out to the gifted teachers who have selflessly given of their time and materials (Mat. 10:8) so that we might continue to offer resources at no cost to others. May God bless you and your ministry this Easter! - Tony
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Newsletter - April 24, 2011
